Case Study - 2017 Yampi Shelf Survey

Blue Ocean Monitoring

2017 Yampi Shelf Survey

In July 2017, Blue Ocean Monitoring undertook a calibration survey over a known seep just east of the Cornea Oil Field on the Yampi Shelf (Browse Basin) offshore Western Australia.
The glider was deployed approx 20 km east of  the north-east tip of the accumulation.
In the following 15 days, it covered 438 line kilometres, (horizontal and vertical) before being recovered 30 km ssw of the field area.
During that period the glider was in continuous and fully autonomous operation and easily confirmed seep location as it recorded anomalous Methane readings (> 4 times background); the glider track is shown in black on the adjacent map and the anomalies are shown in yellow. 
Download Technical Paper: Using Autonomous Underwater Gliders for Geochemical Surveys (Blue Ocean Monitoring; APPEA Journal 2018, 2Mb PDF)

Survey Location Close Up

Map shows sea floor, looking north-northwest.
Glider track shown in red.
Location of petroleum wells associated with the Cornea Field also shown.

water Temp

Map shows sea floor, looking north-northwest.
Glider sample colours representing water temperature (26 - 27.8 deg C)

MethanE Anomalies

Glider sample colours representing temperature.
Glider sample sizes proportional to Methane readings (from 2 - 168 ppm). All “background” methane samples (0 – 40 ppm) filtered out.
Seep location is now evident east of the field

ALternaTe Viewpoint

  • Close-up of seep area; sea floor colour palette enhanced.
  • Methane Anomalies (upper image): size proportional to Methane. All background readings filtered out. Colour scaled to temperature - largest anomalies also the warmest - closest to seep?
  • Crude oil in water (bottom image): anomaly size proportional to detected level of crude oil. Samples in lowest 70% of fluorescence and lowest 50% of particle size filtered out. Colour scaled to temperature.

Seep data can also be imaged directly over seismic

Cornea 3D Inline 2869 (partial)
Glider sample colours representing temperature; size proportional to Methane readings (from 2 - 168 ppm). All  methane samples < 40 ppm filtered out.
Copyright 2019 Venatic Energy Pty Ltd